A Study Of Pre-service English Teacher's Self-efficacy

Teacher's self-efficacy is a rather complicated and dynamic concept.It is teacher's perception and examination of self-teaching ability,and plays a leading role in teacher's internal self-regulation and professional development,significantly helping English teachers improve their language skills and teaching levels as well as their self-confidence.Besides,teachers' good self-efficacy can fully mobilize students' sense of learning efficacy.Based on the generalization of past research,the author finds that the research on pre-service English teachers' self-efficacy in Chinese English teaching environment is scarce,and the dimensions of investigation are limited.This study attempts to reflect the current situation of pre-service English teachers' self-efficacy from various aspects,and combines quantitative analysis with qualitative research to further explore possible factors that affect their effectiveness.Based on the previous research,teacher's self efficacy in this research is defined as“teachers subjective judgment,perception,and confidence about their ability to effectively complete language teaching tasks,to successfully achieve teaching goals,and to promote students' language learning and development”.In the process of compiling the measurement scale,the strengths of Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale(OSTES)are comprehensively embodied,and according to the principle of Bandura's “Specialty of Domain” and “Domain Integrity”,the nature of teaching subject and the relevant teaching objectives prescribed in national syllabus deserve long-term concerns.The first four dimensions used in this research are enlightened by OSTES,which has been widely recognized and used for English teachers efficacy measurement by numerous domestic scholars(Zhu,2006;Shao,2012).Besides,in order to meet the requirements proposed in the New Curriculum Standard in 2017,3 extra dimensions are supplemented to respectively measure pre-service teachers efficacy for cultivating students' cultural awareness,thinking quality and learning ability.This research also combined quantitative analysis with qualitative research;questionnaires were distributed to 105 pre-service English teachers majoring in English teaching in different normal universities,with the language proficiency test being carried out at the same time.Following the rough processing of the questionnaire data,a qualitativeresearch in the form of interview were initiated,4 typical participants were selected to complete the interview to excavate deeply their efficacy beliefs.From the data analysis of these seven dimensions,it can be concluded that pre-service English teachers' self-efficacy is at a medium level.When it come to specific dimensions,their perception of self-efficacy decreases in instructional strategies,cultivating students' cultural awareness,cultivating students' learning ability,textbook processing,student engagement,cultivating students' thinking quality and classroom management.It can be reflected that most prospective teachers consider themselves having adequate instructional strategies,however,their self-efficacy is relatively low for classroom management and cultivating students' thinking quality,with a large proportion of pre-service English teachers having insufficient confidence in these two aspects.With regards to possible factors,first of all,the positive correlation between pre-service English teachers self efficacy and their language proficiency is quantitatively verified from the independent sample T test.Besides,based on Bandura's social cognitive theory,the factors are discussed from four aspects: mastery experiences,physiological and emotional states,vicarious experiences,and social persuasion.Pre-service English teachers' mastery experiences are directly derived from their theoretical and practical knowledge gained on campus,as well as their own performance and students' real reaction during teaching practicum;successful in-service English teachers including their instructors and other observation objects set a model in specific teaching context,providing pre-service English teachers with adequate vicarious resources.In addition,their supervisors' degree of support and evaluation methods play the role of social persuasion.At last,individuals' physical and mental reactions are also critical.Based on the research conclusions,the author puts forward some suggestions from the perspective of teachers' professional development.In addition,the author analyzes the limitations of the study at the end,and proposes relevant research recommendations to encourage further analysis and discovery.